Russia’s MiG-35 fighter jet faces an uncertain future after missing out on a lucrative contract with India.

The Asian country, which has long been a major trading partner for the Russian defence sector, had planned the biggest arms contract of the century, ordering 126 mid-range multipurpose fighters at a cost of more than $10 billion.

But the MiG bid was shot down by the French Rafale and the Typhoon Eurofighter, built by an Italian-British consortium.

And apart from the immediate loss of business, the news provokes fears that the Russian jet might now be a hard sell elsewhere in the world.

Unfounded confidence

Russia had good grounds to believe the MiG-35 would win the contract, Kommersant reported.

The Pakistan Air Force will acquire a system for ground support from the Tactical Communications Group of Massachusetts. The order for the system, stated by TCG, came from the U.S. Air Forces’ ESC (Electronics Systems Center).

The GSS solution, provided by TCG, will allow pilots to support commercial-off-the-shelf capability to support Link 16 simulation training. This can be done by virtualizing the operations and certain situational awareness on Pakistani F-16 aircraft.

The Pakistan Air Force will be able to connect to airborne networks by using the GSS. This is done with low cost and conduct efficient, yet effective training of aviation personnel and network operators.

The system will be able to provide certain options regarding growth and additional data link networking for operations and maintenance training. This is virtualized for use on the system and its components in southeastern Pakistan.

In Pakistan, a successful Flight Test of the natively developed Air Launched Cruise Missile, Hatf-VIII (Ra’ad), has been conducted performed.
Due to the ongoing process of developing better technical parameters of the weapon system, the test was performed. The newly developed Ra’ad missile has a range of over 350 km, and has been exclusively developed to launch from Aerial Platforms.

The missile makes use of Cruise Technology. This technology is extremely complex however, and only a few specific countries in the world have been able to develop it. This new system allows Pakistan to expand their possibilities on grounds of strategic standoff capability on land and at sea.

Reports are coming in that Saab has offered the Sea Gripen fighter aircraft for the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.

Saab has been studying the idea of designing a carrier-borne variant since the mid-’90s but the company only decided to launch the Sea Gripen program in the wake of its existing campaigns for the air forces of India and Brazil and the moves by the two countries to build a serious carrier capability, even though at that time there was no formal request from either country. Saab is planning to pitch the aircraft to countries with smaller-sized carriers and says they expect more nations to show interest in the Sea Gripen, because existing naval fighters are either of an older generation or large-sized, forcing them to buy or build large ships as well.

According to Peter Nilsson, Gripen’s Vice President of Operational Capabilities, the Sea Gripen is intended for both CATOBAR (Catapult Assisted Take Off But Arrested Recovery) as well as STOBAR (Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery) operations. “There will obviously be differences in the MTOW (Maximum Take-Off Weight). In a CATOBAR concept, the Sea Gripen will have a MTOW of 16,500 kilograms and a maximum landing weight of 11,500 kilograms. In a STOBAR concept it depends on the physics of the carrier. Roughly, the payload of fuel and weapons in STOBAR operations will be one-third less than the payload in CATOBAR operations. There will be no differences in ‘bring-back’ capability,” he says.

India and South Korea are likely to ink their first defence contract as the Defence Ministry is negotiating for six minesweepers from a South Korean firm. While two vessels will be supplied by the manufacturer, the remaining minesweepers will be built in India.

Bilateral defence ties got a boost last year when Defence Minister AK Antony visited Seoul and held wide-ranging discussions with the Korean leadership. South Korea, famous for world-class ship-building facilities, evinced keen interest in industry-to-industry relations with India, besides regular military exchanges like joint exercises with the Indian armed forces.

Pakistan Air Force is stronger than ever. Since the last Indo-Pak air war of 1971, the Pakistan Air Force has with steely determination built up numbers, lethal capabilities and a combat force now counted as one of the most disciplined and well-trained air forces in the world.

Headlines Today has a disturbing proof that all this has made India worried. A recent presentation by the defence intelligence establishment paints a morbid picture of how the numbers and capability advantage that the Indian Air Force has always found comfort in is rapidly slipping away.

Headlines Today has accessed the recent presentation made to the Ministry of Defence. The document makes singularly ominous projections. The most glaring warning is about combat force ratio.The presentation says that the ratio of 1:1.7 is likely to progressively dip to 1:1.2 by the end of 2012. It describes this as a "historic low". It also says that the traditional hi-tech advantage is almost equal now with 9.5:11 squadron ratio.

The Indian Air Force's south west air command (SWAC) will have a Su-30MKI squadron permanently based at Jodhpur sometime in the next two years, according to air marshal AK Gogoi, AOC-in-C of SWAC. Speaking here on Wednesday, air marshal Gogoi said the air force was strengthening itself and would be able to deal with any sort of threat especially from Pakistan and China.

Air marshal Gogoi was on a three-day visit to the Jodhpur air base, the headquarters of SWAC, his first after assuming command.

Talking about the deployment of the DRDO-developed medium range, surface-to-air, Akash missile, air marshal Gogoi, two squadrons of these missiles were soon be deployed, of which one will be at Pune, which falls under SWAC's command. The other deployment would be at Gwalior.

"Besides this, six more squadrons will be deployed in the region to check any threat from China," he added.

Air-based early-warning systems and laser-beam weapons will be futuristic developments in the aerospace world other than predominance of multiple kill vehicles. V K Saraswat, chief of DRDO and scientific adviser to defence minister, announced his on Sunday at the fifth air chief marshal Katre memorial lecture.

Saraswat said attention is now on development of hyper-launch vehicles and converting the unmanned aerial vehicle into unmanned combat vehicles, utilising progress made in the fields of nano and Mems technology.

After launching development of stealth UCAVs (unmanned combat aerial vehicles), India is now also looking at designing solar-powered spy drones which can cruise in the sky for several days at a time.

The high-altitude, long endurance (HALE) solar-powered UAV will not just reduce Indian military's carbon footprint but more importantly provide a cost-effective and flexible 24x7 ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance) platform akin to "a pseudo-satellite" orbiting closer to the ground.

"Yes, Army and IAF have asked us to develop the solar-powered HALE UAV. Initial work is in progress for such a drone which can undertake a 15-day continuous flight over 30,000-feet," DRDO's chief controller R&D (aeronautics) Dr Prahlada Said.

The Indian defense ministry’s Center for Airborne Systems (CABS) has engaged EADS defense unit Cassidian to help with the system integration and flight testing of India’s Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) platform.

The AEW&C is scheduled to be integrated on a modified Embraer EMB-145 aircraft later this year. The Indian air force is set to commission three AEW&C platforms by 2013, with the first flight expected this May.

A senior CABS official tells Aviation Week that Cassidian was brought in as a consultant in January. “Many complex systems will have integration issues and get bogged down by protracted flight testing and evaluation,” the official says. “We hope to dovetail the experience of the Cassidian team into the program so as to compress time schedules.”

The induction of third generation anti-tank Nag missile is likely to be delayed by more than a year with the Army seeking improvements to the specially-made missile carrier, Namica.

After the completion of the missile's “final validation trials” in the Chandan Air Force ranges in Rajasthan in July last, it was anticipated that it would be inducted into the Army this year. During the trials, the missile proved its capability against both moving and stationary targets, covering varying ranges of 500 meters to 2,600 metres.

The Namica too established its “channel-crossing ability” and manoeuvred across the Indira Gandhi Canal at Nachna in Rajasthan during flotation trials time. Each carrier can carry 12 missiles with eight of them in ready-to-fire mode.

Having a maximum range of four km, the Nag is equipped with the highly potent HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank) warhead.

Request for Information has been issued for “a high voltage, multi-calibre potent parabolic air defence system (ADS) comprising a range of missiles, definitive munitions and hyper-reactive sensors,” as per UNI. Dubbed as India’s THAAD system, it is proposed to protect the vital assets and strategic installations. The ADS is expected to guard against aerial, space and clandestine operations.

India is all set to place an order with a South Korean shipyard for building eight minesweepers for its navy in its quest to overhaul its existing fleet of such specialised warships, defence ministry sources say.

Aiming to enhance the Indian Air Force's surveillance and strike capacity, India will begin integrating the indigenously-built Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system atop the Brazilian Embraer aircraft in July, a top defence official said Saturday.

'The first Embraer plane (EMB-1451) will land in India by June-end after its power units have been connected to our airborne early warning radar fitted atop. Integration of its sub-systems will begin in July for user trials,' the defence minister's Scientific Advisor V.K. Saraswat told reporters here Saturday.

To plug gaps and build up a robust air defence system, India will soon buy a large number of missiles to defend the country's vital tactical and strategic locations and high-security zones from enemy threats and possible aerial attacks, an officer said Wednesday.

Ahead of issuing a tender for the purchase of medium-range surface-to-air (MRSAM) missiles, the defence ministry has this week issued a request for information (RFI) from global and domestic missile manufacturers asking them if they could supply the weapon system within a short time-frame to the Indian Air Force (IAF).

"The defence ministry intends to procure the MRSAM system for the Indian Air Force and the system will be required for air defence of vital areas and points. The MRSAM is required in an early time-frame," a senior IAF officer said here Wednesday.

The sourcing of spares and consumables for its Russian-built aircraft and weapon systems has sunk to a new low for the﻿ IAF, with the government permitting it to issue multiple global tenders for spares across a range of systems. The move marks a striking break from the Indian defense ministry’s traditional practice of contracting spares from original equipment manufacturers via Rosoboronexport.

Now the IAF is turning to vendors in Europe, Israel and the U.S. to respond to an urgent spares call for Russian-built equipment it has in inventory.

There are more than 25 tenders on the street, with more floated each day. The service needs everything from terminals and transformers for its MiG-29 fighters to main wheels for its Su-30 fleet. It also needs multiple spares for its Il-76/-78 transport fleet, Mi-26 and Mi-17 helicopters and virtually all Russian-built ground radars, including its P-19 Danubes.

The MiG-29 situation may be the most difficult. The aircraft is undergoing an extensive upgrade, which means it needs close to 150 different spare parts, including shield installations, main and nose wheels, video amplifiers and photo diodes, as well as minor items such as transformers, capacitors and resistors.

Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter aircraft would soon be equipped with special gadgets that will enable production of oxygen in the air, a step that will allow the pilots to be airborne for longer period, marking India's entry into the elite club of forces.Developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the On Board Oxygen Generation System (OBOGS) produces oxygen inside the aircraft, allowing the pilots to fly without the help of heavy oxygen cylinders they carry for high altitudes and long duration sorties."Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has started the ground integration process of OBOGS in the Technology Demonstrator (TD) version of the LCA Mark-II. After LCA it will be integrated in all the frontline aircrafts of the IAF," W Selvamurthy, Chief Controller, Life Science, DRDO, told PTI here.LCA Mark-II is expected to join the IAF by 2015. DRDO has approved Larsen and Toubro (L&T) as the industrial partner in further development of the technology and its production.

So far only three countries- United States, Russia and France- have successfully integrated the OBOGS technology in its air force. "It will be a significant force multiplier for IAF focused at enhancing pilots ability to remain airborne. With on-board oxygen generation capability pilots would not be required to land to refill their oxygen supply," Selvamurthy said.Based on a sieve-like structure and fitted into the main frame of the aircraft, OBOGS concentrates the oxygen available in the atmosphere and removes nitrogen content from it. After successfully developing the two-bed OBOGS, DRDO has started working on the three-bed system, which would make India the first country to possess its most advanced version. "We plan to prepare our aircraft for non-stop intercontinental sorties. Once developed the three-bed system would be integrated on all the frontline fighters of the IAF.It would also enable the aircraft to carry extra payload," Selvamurthy said.After acquiring other force multipliers like mid-air refuellers and early warning radars which give an extra edge to the fighter planes, IAF is looking at state-of-the-art technology to aid the pilots and DRDO has chalked out a number of project for the purpose.

The Arjun Mk2 main battle tank (MBT) — currently under development since mid-2007, will be more expensive and have a higher imported content than its predecessor, the Arjun Mk1. But in terms of mobility, protection and firepower, the Mk2 variant will come closest to what Indian Army HQ wants: an MBT with highly enhanced crew protection and maximum survivability in high-intensity, fire-saturated combat environments. To achieve this, the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) Avadi-based Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) has roped in both Israel Military Industries (IMI) and Elbit Systems of Israel, with the former being responsible for improving the existing Arjun Mk1’s design plus mobility and fuel consumption, redesigning and modifying the various components of the MBT’s hull and turret, and providing consultancy for improving production-line processes. Elbit Systems, on the other hand, will enhance the MBT’s firepower and its accuracy, and provide survivability systems and air-conditioning hardware. The existing Arjun Mk1 MBT, which was formally inducted into the Army’s 75 Armoured Regiment on March 12, comes powered by a MTU 838Ka-501 diesel engine (rated at 1,400hp) coupled to a RENK RK-304A transmission, and can achieve a maximum speed of 70 km/hr (43 mph) and a cross-country speed of 40 km/h (25 mph). A total of 124 Mk1 variants are on order, and will be followed by 124 Mk2 variants, which were ordered by Army HQ on May 17 last year. The Arjun Mk2 will incorporate a total of 93 upgrades, including 13 major improvements. Rollout of the first prototype will take place by this June, and by 2013, the first 30 production-standard Arjun Mk2s will roll out from the Avadi-based, ministry of defence-owned Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF).

A nuclear power reactor at the Kaiga Generating Station (KGS) here was shut down after a smoke detection alarm went off yesterday.

A smoke detection alarm appeared in the control room of Unit 3 yesterday around 4.30 am, following which the 220 MWe nuclear power plant was shut down, the Nuclear Power Corporation said in a statement here.

"On inspection of the respective area, it has been found that there was nothing abnormal," Station Director J P Gupta said.

As an abundant precaution, the unit was shut down, he said.

The nuclear plant operator said routine surveillance tests were planned for Unit-3 before May, when the plant was to be shut down for a couple of weeks.

"Having the unit in shut down state, decision is taken to utilise this opportunity and carry out these tests now itself," the NPCIL said.

Expressing concern over growing might of China's armed forces, a top pentagon official has said that absence of clarification from the East Asian country on its military modernisation efforts has significant implications for regional stability.

"Absent clarification from China, its military modernisation efforts hold significant implications for regional stability," the US Pacific Command Commander Admiral Robert Willard, said in his testimony before House Armed Services Committee.

The region is developing its own conclusions about why the People's Liberation Army (PLA) continues to expand its ability to project power outside China's borders, and to range both US forces and its allies and partners in the region with new anti-access and area-denial weaponry.

Willard said China's rise will largely define Asia-Pacific environment in the 21st century.

He said China's naval activities are a direct challenge to accepted interpretations of international law and established international norms.

"Of growing concern is China's maritime behaviour. China's recent official statements and actions in what Beijing calls its --near seas -- represent a direct challenge to accepted interpretations of international law and established international norms," Willard said.

"While China does not make legal claims to this entire body of water, it does seek to restrict or exclude foreign, in particular, US, military maritime and air activities in the --near seas -- an area that roughly corresponds to the maritime area from the Chinese mainland out to the --first island chain--(described, generally, as a line through Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, and Indonesia) and including the Bohai Gulf, Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea," he said.

Iron Dome mobile defence system has achieved its first live intercept against a short-range rocket launched from the Gaza Strip.

The newly installed equipment destroyed a BM-21 Grad 122mm rocket launched in the direction of Ashqelon on 7 April, around three days after it had been deployed near the Israeli city.

Intended to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells, the Iron Dome system was designed to avoid collateral damage in a target area by destroying the threat away from a defended zone, and preventing debris from falling there.